Cigarette dispenser



Feb. 27, 1945. c. Fmr-:SCH

CIGARETTE DISPENSER Filed Sept. 8, 1945 SH01/uws I Patented F eb. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATE-NT OFFICE CGARETTE DISPENSER Charles Friesch, Pueblo, C'olo.

Application September 8, 1943, Serial No. 501,581

2 Claims. (Cl. 312-84) This invention relates to a dispenser for cigarettes in a construction that will permit its easy application and convenient installation on an instrument board of a motor vehicle and be substantially concealed from view.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a dispenser of the above stated character which will be easy to fill with cigarettes and eX- tremely easy and simple to operate by a person when desiring a cigarette, discharging a cigarette each time an operating lever thereof is depressed and in such a way that the cigarette may be conveniently grasped for use.

With these and other' objects in view as will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating a form of my invention, especially adapted for application to an instrument panel or board of a motor vehicle.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the form of the invention shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the loading drawer partly withdrawn to permit cigarettes to be laid therein.

Figure 4 is a top plan view showing the drawer.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional View showing a locking means for the receiver tray of the illustrated form of my invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, a casing 26 has the front thereof closed by a removable panel v 21 which projects beyond the walls of the casing to engage with an instrument board or panel 28 of an automobile when the casing is inserted through an opening provided in said panel or board. The panel 21 is detachably secured to the panel or board by fasteners 29.

The lower portion of the casing 26 has journaled therein a drum 3l) the ratchet gear 3| of which is engaged by oppositely arranged dogs 32 and 33. The dog 32 is pivotally mounted in the casing 2G, as shown at 34, while the dog 33 is pivotally mounted on an operating lever eX- tending through a slot 3Q in the panel and pivotally mounted on a bracket 31 mounted on the rear wall of the casing 25. The dogs 32 and 33 are influenced by leaf springs 33 to ride the ratchet gear 3| at all times. A portion of the periphery of the drum is overlaid by a guard mounted in the casing to-prevent the cigarettes within said grooves of the drum from falling therefrom until each groove is directly above a curved plate 4l leading to an entrance 42 formed in the front panel. Projecting from the panel at each end of the entrance is a plate 43 and pivotally connected to Said plate for upward and downward swinging movement is a curved tray 44 provided with a nger piece 45. Normally, the tray 44 is swung upwardly to close the entrance and may be secured in this position by a suitable key operated lockl46 carried by the front panel 21.

In the upper portion of the casing 26 walls are arranged therein to form a hopper chamber 41 leading to the drum to ll each groove with a cigarette as the groove nears its uppermost position within the casing.

The casing above the hopper chamber 41 is provided with guide grooves to slidably support a drawer frame 48 provided with a panel 4S to normally close the entrance 50 formed in the front panel 21. A stop lug 5| is secured to the drawer frame to prevent the latter from being entirely withdrawn from the casing. A suitable ringer knob 53 is secured to the panel 49 of the drawer frame.

Hingedly connected to the drawer frame adjacent the panel 49 is a bottom wall 54 capable of swinging downwardly against an inclined wall of the hopper chamber when the drawer frame is fully within the casing to allow cigarettes that have been previously arranged thereon to slide downwardly into the hopper chamber for feeding into the grooves of the drum. Whenever the drawer frame is pulled outwardly of the casing,

the bottom wall 54 swings upwardly to assume a horizontal position, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 and in full lines in Figure 3, so that cigarettes may be laid thereon prior to the closing of the drawer. As soon as the drawer is closed the y bottom wall swings downwardly as before speci- It is preferable that the free end of the bottom wall of the drawer frame be curved upwardly, as shown in the drawing, to prevent cigarettes from passing off of the free end onto the drawer frame when in a substantially horizontal position. However, the curved end of the bottom wall 54 will not interfere with the discharge of the cigarettes when said bottom wall swings downwardly into the position shown in full lines in Figure 2. It is to be noted that a great number of cigarettes will be accommodated in the lower portion of the hopper chamber after leaving the bottom wall 54 of the drawer frame, so that if the drawer frame is pulled outwardly a person will be prevented from reaching the cigarettes that are within the lower portion of the hopper chamber.

Whenever it is desired to obtain a cigarette, the tray 44 is swung downwardly and the lever 35 is depressed, discharging a cigarette into the tray so that the cigarette will be in a position for easy grasping by a person. Y

' While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of myy invention, it will be-understood that minor. changes in construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invent tion as claimed.

Having thus described the invention, what' I claim is:

1. In a cigarette dispenser, a casing mountable in an instrument board of :an-automobile, adis"- pensing mechanism carried by said casing, .a hopl per construction arranged in said casing for discharging4 cigarettes to' Asaid dispensing' means, and a drawer slidably mounted in the casing and capa-ble of' beingslid' partlyl outwardly of said casing to permit cigarettes to be placed therein and including a hinged bottom wall for the support of the cigarettes and adapted to gravitate downwardly on the drawer moving into the casing for discharging the cigarettes thereon into the hopper construction.

2. In a cigarette dispenser, a 'casing mounted in the instrument panel of an automobile, a cigarette dispensing means located in said casing, a hinged tray on said casing to receive a cigarette from the dispensing means, means for locking said tray in an inoperative position, a hopper construction in said casing for feeding the dispensing means, a drawer frame slidable in said casing and including a hinged bottom capable of swinging. downwardly in the hopper construction to discharge cigarettes previously arranged thereon-intothe hopper construction on the movement of the-,drawer frame fully within the casing and adapted to assume a horizontal position when the drawerA frame is partly pulled out of the casing to permit' cigarettes to be arranged thereon.

CHARLES FRIESCH. 

